1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and associated apparatus for controlling the volatile level in recycled carbon black material, such as that obtained from pyrolysis of vehicle tires, and more particularly, it relates to a reduced energy system for obtaining recycled carbon black of the desired quality.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In view of the increased environmental concerns and the focus upon efficient use of energy, there has been great interest in recycling of pneumatic vehicle tires in order to obtain reusable products, such as carbon black
It has been known to employ pyrolysis in order to convert the long chain elastomers and other chemicals in the tires into more volatile fragments followed by volatizing these fragments. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,833,485 and 6,835,861 disclose the use of low temperature and low-energy pyrolysis in achieving these objectives.
A thermodynamic analysis of pyrolysis of tire rubbers was disclosed in “A New Method for DTA Measurement of Entropy Change during the Pyrolysis of Rubbers”, Yang et al., Thermochimica Acta 288 (1996), Pages 155-168.
In spite of these prior teachings, there remains a very real and substantial need for improved efficiency in pyrolysis recycling of tires and other waste materials that contain polymers, such as plastics and carpet.